


Hand in Hand

by super_sides_me



Series: 25 Days of Christmas [5]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: First Meetings, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 01:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12924300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/super_sides_me/pseuds/super_sides_me
Summary: Roman prepared a horse-drawn carriage ride for him and his date, who never showed up. Dateless, he sat alone at the side of the road until he met a miracle in the shape of a man.





	Hand in Hand

Patton walked down the street on a cold, winter’s day. He had his hands in his pockets, headed no where in particular. Sometimes he enjoyed the indoors, sitting with loved ones by a fire, but other times he enjoyed the setting of a beautiful city. It was only around one o’clock in the afternoon which meant he’d have plenty of time to explore and be home in time for dinner. As he was walking, there was something that caught his eye. A beautiful, white horse-drawn carriage with red cushioned seats.

“Oh wow...” He whispered. As he came closer, something else, or rather someone else, caught his attention instead. A man, who was dressed as if he were about to star in a Disney movie, was sat by the side of the road and seemed to be...crying. Patton frowned and slowly approached the man. “Is everything alright?” He asked in his gentle, comforting voice.

The man sniffled and and looked up at him with red eyes. He quickly rubbed the tears away and cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m fine.” He insisted, but another tear fell from his eye, betraying him. “Just not a good day for me.” He covered his mouth to muffle a sob.

Patton sat down next to the man and put his hand on his shoulder. “What’s your name?”

“Roman.” He managed, his voice cracking a little.

“What happened, Roman?”

“I...” He rubbed at his eyes again. “I had this day planned out. A date. We were supposed to...” He motioned to the carriage. “It was for me and...” He hiccuped. “But he stood me up.” He sniffled again. “God, I’m such a fool.” He wiped away at his tears again, which seemed to have mostly stopped.

“No, you aren’t.” Patton assured him, rubbing his arm gently. “He’s the fool for leaving you alone like this.”

Roman was silent for a second and then he nodded. “I guess you’re right.” He looked over at Patton and stared at him as their eyes met. After a moment, he gave a little smile. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat again. “If you don’t mind and you have the time...” He glanced over at the carriage. “Would you like to join me?”

Patton looked over at the carriage and then back to Roman, smiling widely. “I would love to.”

Roman jumped up to his feet, a dazzling smile on his face. “Wonderful! To who do I owe this pleasure?”

“My name’s Patton.” Patton stood up, holding his hand out for a handshake, but instead, Roman held his hand in a loose grip and walked him over to the carriage. Roman escorted Patton up the step to sit inside and then went in after him. They sat across from each other, their knees touching. “Wow, this is beautiful.” Patton said, looking around. It looked even better from inside. Roman said a few words to the driver and then they started to move along the road.

Patton sat with his hands together in his lap. He looked up at the sky around them, truly being able to take in the view when he didn't have to worry about where he was going or how he was going to get there. After a few minutes, he came to and realized how silent he'd been. He looked over to Roman to apologize for being so quiet only to find that Roman was watching him with a little smile on his face. “Sorry.” He said anyway.

Roman shook his head. “No need to apologize.” He had a look of fondness on his face. “As long as you're having a good time. It's all I would really want.”

“I am!” Patton perked up. “It's nice, being here with you.” He wrung his hands together. “What did you have planned for the date?”

“Oh...well,” Roman's expression fell, but only slightly, a light smile still on his face. He looked down to his hands and then up to Patton. “A ride around the city, through the park. There's a lovely garden there.”

“Sounds fantastic.” Patton smiled even though he was still distraught by the pink in Roman's eyes and the redness of his nose from the crying he'd been doing. He had no idea how long Roman had just been sitting there like that. His hand twitched, wanting to reach out to Roman's, but he kept it in his lap. They sat in silence a while longer, a few gusts of wind passing by that made both of them shiver. Patton heard Roman sigh and looked over to him, worried. Roman seemed a bit down again. He didn't blame him, but he hated to see that expression on his face. “Roman?” He asked to get his attention.

“Huh?” Roman looked at him for a moment before his face softened. “Oh, I'm...I'm sorry. I just...” He paused. “I didn't even consider how cold it was going to be and you probably want out of this weather. I wish I had gloves to give you. Or a scarf.”

“I'm okay. I promise.” He assured him. “It's nothing I can't handle.” From the pinkness of Roman's cheeks, it looked like he was cold too. Both of their breathes came out in puffs of smoke. He glanced down at Roman's hands again and thought for a moment. Maybe, he could find a way to help with the cold. Patton reached out to hold Roman's hands in a tight grip between them, intertwining their fingers. “We should try to keep warm. Together.” When Roman nodded with a smile and squeezed his hands, Patton's smile widened.

“Thank you. This...it means a lot to me.” Roman said, quietly. Patton subconsciously rubbed his thumbs against Roman's hands as they sat there. Roman glanced down at their hands and then to Patton's face, smiling softly. “I'm glad you're here.”

“I am too.” He said. It didn't take him very long to realize that the two of them in this carriage, hand in hand, was exactly where he wanted to be.


End file.
